It was a great time to be a fan of comedy in the mid 2000s. Especially with shows like Parks and Recreation. The hit NBC series starred Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, deputy director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department, and it was glorious.
But as is the case with any good show, there is a lot of lore to the series that newer fans may not be aware of. One bit of lore that Parks fans love to return to is that of Philly Justice. While filming season 4 of the show, the cast and creatives behind Parks and Recreation had a little fun on set. That fun turned into a fictional series called Philly Justice which is a classic show that no one has ever seen.
The fact series starred Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Dylan McDermott who replaced Dermot Mulroney who replaced Paul Rudd. It is a deep lore that all started from a picture that Poehler, Jones, Scott, Hahn, and Rudd took on the steps of a government building that looked like the promo for an early 2000s courtroom drama. From there, the brilliant minds that made us laugh each week on Parks created backstory and lore for a fictional series.
Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m bringing up a fake show from 2003 that would have aired after Joan of Arcadia (a bit created in 2012) in 2025. The answer is simple: We finally got a trailer for the series! Yes, that’s fight. We have footage of Philly Justice and no, it is not the Parks cast now filming it as a bit. This was during the filming of season 4.
On Good Hang with Amy Poehler, we finally got a look into the show that never was.
God I miss Parks and Recreation
This is what I miss with my comedy shows. We have moved away from fun bits, behind the scenes lore, and dedicated fanbases that knew every aspect of filming. For me, there was no greater joy than watching the special features on a Parks and Recreation box set and learning more about the series and how this cast all interacted with each other.
What makes this podcast episode between Poehler and Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur so special is that the cast joined in to share the trailer, all said how they loved each other, and just had fun talking about this weird bit they started with each other (and fans) during the show. That to me is what makes a show like Parks so special.
There are plenty of little moments like Philly Justice when you get into the “lore” of the show. There is Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) saying that he put Leslie’s symptoms into Google and she has network connectivity problems. There’s the comeback story. Then there’s the lore about getting Bill Murphy to play the mayor of Pawnee. My point is there is a lot and Philly Justice is part of that.
(featured image: NBC)
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